1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a swing hopper for a grain auger with the swing hopper being attached to the lower end of a swing auger tube, which is pivotally secured to the main auger tube of the grain auger, about horizontal and vertical axes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Grain augers are frequently used to transfer grain or other particulate material from a truck or a trailer to a grain storage unit. Many of the trailers being used to transport grain to the grain storage units are of the “hopper bottom” type wherein a pair of longitudinal spaced-apart grain hoppers with trap doors at the lower ends thereof are located at the underside of the trailer body for discharging grain therefrom. In most cases, a swing hopper is movably positioned below the trap door of the hopper for receiving the grain being discharged from the hopper after the trap door has been opened. After one hopper has been emptied, the swing hopper is moved to positions below the other hopper. The inner end of the swing hopper is pivotally connected to the lower end of a swing hopper auger about a horizontal axis so that the swing hopper may pivot up and down with respect to the swing hopper auger to compensate for ground irregularities. The discharge end of the swing hopper auger tubes are normally pivotally connected to the main auger above the lower end thereof.
The weight and length of trailers has recently increased with 50-foot trailers being legal and with the grain hoppers or dumps on the trailer being farther apart than normal. In most cases, the swing hopper cannot reach both hoppers without moving the trailer. Many attempts have been provided in an effort to solve the problem of being able to sufficiently swing the hopper in a manner so that the swing hopper may be positioned below either of the grain hoppers without moving the trailer. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,946,416 and 7,428,956. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,416 the length of the swing auger tube has been extended so as to reach both grain hoppers but the square hopper on the swing hopper of the '416 patent is not parallel with the square hole of the trailer hopper resulting in grain spilling onto the ground and with the swing hopper interfering with either the grain trailer wheels or the jacks of the trailer and not being able to center under the trailer grain hopper. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,428,956, an attempt is made to align the swing hopper to the grain hopper but contains a large number of moving parts and is therefore rather expensive.